Black Rebellion
by TimeForced
Summary: Prince Zuko was exiled by his father to the Jiaomeng Republic at ten years of age.  Driven to a war torn land, Zuko survives but vows revenge on those who would discard him and his younger sister, Nana, as mere pawns.
1. Birth of a Demon

_Discaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you want to give credit where credit is due, you can thank those brilliant folks over at Nickelodeon for this incredible world and the people of Sunrise for the awesome characters and political systems of the Code Geass universe. Any changes made to characters or places are my own and in no way reflect the decisions and opinions of the two show's creators._

_Ps. O yeah, this little opening bit borrows its format from The Jade Knight and his story Sokka: Master of the Black Sword, very interesting read._

_**AN:**__ This little story came to me in a flash of "o shit their stories are ridiculously similar" that had me thinking for 4 hours straight as I put the whole world together. I'm still not done with the world, though next chapter I'll put up a timeline and an intro like the opening of Code Geass. Hopefully that will orient everyone who doesn't know both shows, and hopefully it will allow everyone who watched The Last Airbender to make sense of this crazy world._

_If anyone feels like making any suggestions for the world or the storyline, feel free, though I would be happy to simply know that there are in fact people reading the story, this being my first "published" work. Cursing is not disabled, so feel free to be as colorful as you want, I won't take anything personally and jokes are appreciated. Just be sure to remember that there are probably some younger kids who will stop by, maybe even stay._

**Black Rebellion**

By Travis Johnson

**Chapter 1**

Birth of a Demon

Prime Minister Benkei's gaze swept the horizon that seemed so calm and peaceful beyond the window. Just as the glass and horizon seemed to be one and the same, his eyes also told him that there was nothing out on that sea. But Benkei knew better. He'd heard the reports from the eastern islands, and the western scouts had gone silent almost two days ago. The iron prows were coming and with them the promise of fire and ruin. He wondered when the messenger would reach the shrine where his family lived, and his thoughts briefly turned to the young Prince…he caught himself, former Prince…who had come into his home most unexpectedly. The lined face of the man adopted a semblance of sympathy, he could well understand that losing everything would drive nearly any man into the ground, and few indeed were the children capable of surviving such a blow.

Now, he supposed, he would get to learn what that felt like first hand, though he would never admit such a thing out loud: his position and his pride would not allow it. He decided that he would send his son and the prince off to one of their allies. This country wouldn't be fit to live in for a long while yet; though that didn't mean he thought the Fire Nation would win without a fight. Really, he couldn't help but release a snort knowing that eventually the upstart imperialists would be thrown out. No one could keep these fierce survivors down, not even he.

The aged minister took one long last glance at the horizon, decision made even as he saw the tell-tale hints of fire on the horizon, before he swept out of the room and into an uncertain yet strangely assured destiny. Jiaomeng would fight. It was that simple.

Zuko looked up at the sky, considering his options. The local Pa Shoi gambling ring had failed to provide a truly challenging opponent; all of the nobles proving to be little more than complacent fools with arrogance befitting triumphant conquerors who took no part in the fighting. The brother to Pai Sho, Pa Shoi emphasized battle and aggressiveness.

_Fitting, really, that the favored game of Fire Nation elite is based around warfare. Then again, I love the game so what does that say about me?_

"Hey Zuko, what are you staring at up there, see some new invisible war balloon?"

Grinning, Zuko turned to his blue haired friend, Lee, and returned the jab, "No, just wondering about how unbalanced this partnership is. I do all of the work in the games after all."

Spluttering, Lee rounded on Zuko, stopping the taller boy in his tracks, "Hey, if it weren't for me you wouldn't get these appointments in the first place. I even manage the money for us both!"

With a laugh, Zuko patted Lee on his shoulder and kept walking, forcing his friend to follow him into the tall casino. "You know I could never do without you Lee, we're a team."

Upstairs, they opened the door to a large room filled with couches. All of the seats centered on a table with two opposing chairs. The view opened out to the city below, a surprisingly elegant construction of steel and glass bordered by beautiful wooden neighborhoods, beyond that lay the broken ruins of the ghetto. A thin old man stood up from the Pa Shoi table, wringing his hands and speaking with a stressed voice laced with relief, "I'm saved. Thank god you're here young master. How are things at school?"

Speaking confidently, Zuko strode to shake hands with the man, "Fine. Now did you get those things that I asked you for?"

"Oh, yes I did. Would you like me to pick them up for you?"

Smirking, Zuko sat down, "I appreciate it. Give me about ten minutes and I'll be right over to pick it up." His eyes never left the game board.

At that, a hearty laugh broke out from the big nobleman seated on the other side of the game, "First a young Fire Nation Student comes in to replace this bumbling fool, and then he states that he can beat me in this situation! He even puts a ten minute time limit on the game!

Lee let out a groan, exclaiming to Zuko, "You know he's right, there's no way to win this one."

"Nonsense. Do you think we can make it to class on time if we leave within the next 10 minutes?"

"Well, yeah, but I mean…"

Zuko picked up his lord piece, placing it decisively down on the table as his opponent chuckled, "Starting with the Fire Lord?"

Zuko simply smiled.

Shiori waved her fork in the air, orange-brown hair wagging behind her, "I just wish Zuko would stop turning his brain to weird things like gambling and instead focus on school. If he did he'd be the top of our class, maybe the whole colony!"

Mei leaned forward, smiling suggestively and intoning in a plaintive voice, "O if only my darling Zuko would be a serious boy!"

Shiori blushed but didn't deny what Mei said. Mina continued to focus on the book in front of her.

Zuko and Lee walked onto the empty train platform. "That was amazing Zuko! The look on that guys face when you took his Fire Lord! I mean really!" Calming down, which for Lee meant that he stopped jumping around and simply fidgeted, "Anyways, why did you start with your lord, Zuko?"

Zuko continued to stare impassively down the tracks, "Well, if the lord doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

Stepping in front of Zuko, forcing him to look down, Lee asked, "About that…do you want to run one of the companies developing the colonies or something?"

"No way," replied Zuko, "weird dreams like that will ruin your life."

At that moment, a passenger train pulled into the station, but something about it was off. Lee looked at it uncomfortably, remarking "That train is totally empty, shouldn't there be some people on at this time?"

Zuko simply stepped forward and rolled his eyes at his friend, "You know if everyone took issue whenever something out of the ordinary happened, the whole world would fall apart. I really can't believe how few people are willing to step outside of their comfort zones."

Lee hesitated before getting onto the train, and that was when they heard the loud cursing and banging from the back of the train. Zuko was about to step off when the doors slammed shut, causing Lee to start banging on the window to get at Zuko. Zuko, for his part, looked around for a hiding spot as soon as he heard someone begin to make their way up the train. With that, the train rolled out of the station as several war balloons appeared overhead.

Scratching his head and staring after the train, Lee wondered aloud, "Should I have stopped him from getting on that train?"

Kallen slammed into the side of the seats as the whole train engine jerked, hit by a fire blast from one of the war balloons overhead. Muttering, she got to her feet and continued to the front of the train, reaching the engine car where Jin operated the engineers controls, attempting to draw more power out of the engine. Noticing her entering the car, Jin yelled over the crash of impacts, "We'll never escape, they know exactly where we're going!"

Kallen gritted her teeth determinedly, "No they don't, we just have to take tracks that they don't care about." She concentrated on the track ahead, ignoring the din, and then pounded her fist on the wall, "Yes! They got the switch in place! Jin just take the train down those side tracks into the old subway, I'll take care of the rest."

Before Jin could say anything, Kallen marched back through the abandoned cars towards the back of the train. From his hiding place, Zuko watched her stride by; sure that he recognized her from somewhere. She quickly donned several strange looking pieces of armor, until Zuko realized that it was one of the old Gojun Dragoons.

_These are real live terrorists!_

She shot a slash harken through the skylight of the train, taking down one of the pursuing war balloons with the whip like weapon. With a leap and a roar of flames she came down on the roof of the train before jumping off onto the ground and starting up the fireskates. Sparks flew before she stabilized on the road next to the tracks, continuing to trade fire blasts with the war balloons above while a continuous stream of fire allowed her to skim the ground.

Her focused fire blasts pierced through any defenses the benders in the balloons could muster, each bolt concentrated and empowered by the suit. A few of the wild fireballs from the pursuers washed across her plating, wreathing the spikes and faceplate with flickering pockets of flame. Kallen shrugged off the heat, barely phased inside the water tubing and heat retardant fabric of the rugged armor, returning fire and taking another balloon down.

She laughed in exhilaration at the combat, relishing the chance to return the hurts of the old war. "You bastards better run! You know full well what this bad ass mother can do."

A quick balloon came down from above, powered by a simple combustion engine and propeller. Another Dragoon combat suit descended on its slash harkens, this one a brand new Shinryu series with sleek and shiny black armor. The owner called out to Kallen, "How dare you think to fight against the Fire Lord. Betraying your own kind and joining these terrorists, do you have no pride? In the name of the glorious Ozai I will bring you to a merciful end!"

The train had descended into darkness, though the echo of screeching metal and trundling wheels filled the tunnel around them and told Zuko they were in the old subway lines. Zuko cautiously explored the train, wondering just what was going on that the terrorists would steal a train. The only possibility that he could come up with would be them setting up for a plan needing a train, but now it would be marked by the military. They had obviously not hijacked it for the purpose of hostages, for there was no one on it. Kidnapping hadn't been the idea either: no one knew he was in the passenger car. That was when he saw the big metal container in the back of one of the many container cars.

Before he could make up his mind as to what he was looking at, the train jerked and came to a sudden halt. The sudden halt sprawled Zuko haphazardly on the floor in an ungraceful heap. Untangling his limbs, Zuko got up, grateful that the train hadn't derailed. From the sights and sounds Zuko deduced that the train must have hit a broken part of the track, crashing the locomotive and several of the cars immediately behind it. As he explored the dark the cargo door on the side slid open, a bright light blinding Zuko before a leg whistled out of the dark. Reaching up an arm, Zuko blocked the blow but was powered backwards into the wall. He quickly found himself on his back, pinned beneath the legs of a soldier.

"Chemical weapons? Really? Why would you try and use something that would hurt everyone, not just the Fire Nation soldiers. Sorry to say but now I'll have to kill you. What? …Zuko?"

The young man snapped his eyes open at the familiar voice, "Kazu? You're a soldier?" For a second Zuko's mind blanked, then he gaped in shock as he tried to reconcile this stern looking Fire Nation soldier with the angry, brown haired son of a broken country. Kazu got up, eyes looking Zuko over.

"Yea, I joined in order to get myself into the command structure, but that's a story for another time. Just what are you doing here? Have you been helping these guys?"

Zuko focused on his anger, "No of course not. Honestly I have no idea what's going on, I just got into the wrong train. You mentioned chemical weapons? What the hell is that?"

Kazu turned suspiciously to the ball of iron, "Believe me, you don't want to know. Just some crap the Fire Nation has been developing." At that moment, the iron ball cracked open with a hiss of escaping air. Kazu dragged Zuko out of the car with him, slapping a gas mask over Zuko's face and burying his own in the ground. After a few seconds Zuko looked at the ball and realized that there was in fact a person in it. He quickly pushed himself away from Kazu and got up to go check it out.

Kazu attempted to force the mask back onto Zuko's face before he too saw the person and paused in confusion. Zuko stepped forward, kneeling next to the young woman who had flopped out of the ball. He felt for a pulse, finding a weak one, before pulling her up into a sitting position.

Looking back at Kazu, Zuko asked, "Care to explain?"

Kazu frowned, unsure how to answer. Before he could come up with anything to say, a roar of command caused him to whirl around and salute, "What are you doing private?"

"I found the gas, sir."

The Fire Nation officer stepped forward, leveling a glare at the two young men, "looks like you opened it, boy. Prince Katashi ordered you Honorary Citizens to secure the area and kill the terrorists, not look at the device."

"It opened by itself, sir."

"Well then we can figure that out later. Regardless, I want that terrorist dead. The Prince has ordered a purge of the ghetto. You can do the honors."

Kazu turned back to Zuko, barely even considering it before turning back and speaking in a coldly even voice, "I can't do that sir, this student is an innocent bystander."

"Are you refusing to follow a direct order private?" The man spat the last word like an insult.

Kazu simply said, "Yes, I am," before a bang filled the tunnel. Zuko stared at the smoking barrel in the officer's hand, unsure what to make of it. Then he saw the blood spreading across his friend's uniform, barely visible over the dusty brown. "Kazu!" he cried.

The red and gold uniform seemed to glow slightly under the fiery light of the slowly burning train, the man approaching at a glacial speed. Zuko felt the steel press up against his head, and closed his eyes, unable to think of a way out.

A cry, a flash, and he felt the body of the young woman they had pulled from the metal egg fall against him, warm and wet blood dripping onto his hands.

_Yet another dead for my sake. And still I want to live, if only I had the power to protect myself rather than hiding behind others. I could have helped them, but I was never very good at bending._

At that, another voice intruded upon his thoughts, one of sad wisdom and beauty, _do you want to live?_

Zuko found himself in a strange place, a faintly glowing land, plains stretching into the distance and a moon hanging large in the sky. He looked about and saw the young girl he had found studying him with green eyes. Realizing that it was she who had addressed him, he turned to face her fully, _Live?_

_If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal—in exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other: a different providence, a different time, a different life. The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?_

Zuko looked into the green eyes of the girl before him, and realized what he must do.

_Very well, I accept your contract!_ he shouted.

Opening his glowing golden eyes, Zuko carefully placed the girl on the ground. He stood tall, facing the men who would be his executioners. The commander stepped back slightly, laughing at the sudden display of defiance, "So you want to die on your feet, boy? I can respect that."

Zuko stared them all in the eye, drew a deep breath, and gestured outwards "I, Sixth Prince of the Fire Nation Zuko command you: Die!"

He felt their energy darken and warp. He saw the way his own spirit flashed out and bent the soldiers' will until his every command was their entire life. Each soldier raised a weapon up to his throat, the commander placing the tip of his gun to his head, and slashed. Blood sprayed and bodies fell, while Zuko stared impassively down at the deaths he had commanded.

He looked down at the body of the girl near him, and again at the body of his first true friend, Kazu, and rage took him. All of these lives, ended uselessly. An old proverb echoed in his mind: _Those who kill must be prepared to be killed_.

And Zuko would be the one to deliver.


	2. A Game of Lives

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender nor do I own Code Geass. If you want to give credit where credit is due, you can thank those brilliant folks over at Nickelodeon for the incredible world of Avatar and the people of Sunrise for the awesome characters and political systems of the Code Geass universe. Any changes made to characters or places are my own and in no way reflect the decisions and opinions of the two show's creators._

_**AN:**__ So this is an attempt to take the military, economic, and political ideas from Code Geass, not to mention the characters, and apply them to the world of Avatar. The alternate history idea also comes from there, with the history of this AU diverging at the death of Chin the Conqueror. Have fun, here's the timeline I created and the next chapter of the story._

**Black Rebellion**

By Travis Johnson

**Chapter 2**

A Game of Lives

93 years after Sozin's comet and the end of the Air Nomads, the Fire Nation fell upon the Jiaomeng Republic. The island nation of the southern seas had risen from the ashes of the Fire Nation assault upon the airbenders. Within 40 years of the beginning of the great War, the people of Jiaomeng had created a viable industrial nation that competed on nearly even footing with the other countries of the world. Then Oil, the newly discovered wonder fuel that had spurred a second industrial revolution in the Fire Nation, was found in the seas and islands of the Jiaomeng Republic.

The two nations had postured over the distribution of the precious resource, with neither willing to back down. Forgoing diplomatic routes, the Fire Nation deployed its recently developed diesel warships and war balloons to quickly crush the Jiaomeng navy.

In the battle for the capital city, LoSun, the newest land weapon, the pride and joy of the Fire Nation military, underwent its trial by fire: the Gojun Dragoon. The performance of the new weapon outstripped all expectations, and the tattered remnants of the Republic's forces were hunted down and exterminated.

The Jiaomeng Republic lay in ruins, a new colony under the auspices of the Fire Nation. Stripped of its rights, its name, and its dignity, the Republic was renamed the Syonanto Colony, and its people came to be known as the Tengu.

Kallen crashed into the wall of a thankfully empty storage tank near the train tracks. She quickly flipped over and turned up her Fireskates to full blast, jetting up the twisted metal and into the alleys of the warehouse district. With a small flip she righted herself and sped through the complex, hoping to lose her pursuer. She cradled her left arm, unsure if it was a break or merely a dislocation.

_That damned Shinryu way outclassed me. I'm not sure if it was just the armor or if the difference between me and royal firebenders is just that great. Not to mention the bastards penchant for propaganda. He seemed to take my firebending personally._

Now fairly sure that she had lost the persistent bender, Kallen raced off towards the ghetto that housed their little impromptu resistance.

Zuko peeked up from the hidden staircase at the back of the building. The stench of death filled his nostrils as he saw dozens of dead bodies, piled together in their attempts to escape certain doom, littering the floor of the large warehouse. The sound of voices drifted from near the front, thankfully out of sight for now.

_Prince Katashi must have ordered the massacre of the ghetto rather than let the terrorists make off with his little…project, whatever it was. He must have wanted this power that she gave me, this ability to overwhelm the spirits of others and command absolute obedience, this energybending. It's just like the invasion. I have to find a way to stop him, and I'm probably the only one in this ghetto that can._

He snuck up out of the stairs, making for the voices that he had heard. As he moved, he reviewed the various fire bending moves he had practiced over the years and how useful they would be. The outlook was grim, he had never been very talented, and he definitely lacked fitness.

_But this new ability…I can't trust it. I need more time to study its effects and limitations. Unfortunately I don't have many options._

As he got closer to the voices he realized that it was a bender talking to a runner.

"No sign of the terrorists, and Goturo headed off to chase down an old Gojun armor being used by the group with the train. I will continue with the purge as ordered."

"Thank you sir, I will report to command as soon as possible." The runner sped off, heading towards a waiting war balloon.

Zuko stood up straight and calmly walked around the corner, his face a mask of stern calm. The soldier was in one of the new Shinryus, about to put his helmet back down and connect it to the rest of his suit. Catching the man's eye, Zuko proceeded to thrust his spirit out, catching the man unawares and forcing his will on him.

"Tell me your name and rank as well as the distribution of men and material in and around the ghetto. I want to know anything that could be used to arm an inexperienced group and the call signs used for all of the runners. After that you will obey my every order."

Listening carefully, Zuko smiled as a plan began to form in his mind.

The blackness slowly receded, being replaced with sounds and smells. He distantly recognized the smell of disinfectants, a luxury rarely seen anywhere but the best of doctor universities. He could hear the soft rustle of movement around him, and something pressed tightly around his stomach and lower back.

_There was something…happening. Someone I had to save…someone I had to kill. And then I was? Shot? I think so. One of those new personal guns being deployed for the higher ups. The royal family commissioned a bunch of them for their guards. The royal family? Zuko!_

Kazu shot up and looked wildly around, eyes unfocused.

"Whoa there! It seems that our little bender has awoken very quickly! Surprised to be alive? Eh?"

Kazu focused on the source of the voice, a vague blur that slowly resolved into a surprisingly light skinned man with unnaturally white hair and a big, almost goofy if it weren't so terrifyingly mad, smile plastered on his face. He paused, looking around and then down, seeing a number of bandages swathing his stomach.

He looked back up and replied, "Wuh?"

A dark haired woman walked in and proceeded to whack the white haired man on the head before she turned to Zuko and, smiling, bowed.

"Please forgive my superior; he is a rather eccentric man. My name is Chiro and this is my boss, Ryouta. We picked you up after you got shot, though your life was saved by this," and the woman, _Chiro_ thought Kazu, held out a small time piece, now cracked in a dozen places. "Was it important to you?"

Kazu took it slowly and said "Yes, in a way." He looked down at it in his hand as he asked, "About…did you pick up anyone else along with me?"

Ryouta looked positively gleeful as he said, "Oh do you mean all of those soldiers covered in blood? No, none of them were still alive, though we did find blood that indicated that someone else had been there. Maybe that was who you were looking for?"

Kazu shook his head, and then eyed the overly rambunctious man before saying, "Why did you save me?"

Ryouta became suddenly serious, though the smile hovered around his lips, "Ah, finally a pertinent question. Well, Private Kazu, we want you," and he pointed at Kazu to emphasize the word, "to test my new Zennyo combat armor!"

Chiro smacked the strangely serious and yet joking man again, "_My?_ Don't you mean _ours_?"

"Of course Chiro dear, I was just caught up in the moment."

"And why does it sound like you're trying to get him into the Dragoon right at this moment? He's in no fit condition to start fighting a battle!" The two continued to argue and the woman delivered several well aimed blows to the engineer.

During the verbal sparring match Kazu realized that his mouth had dropped open and snapped it shut, "Excuse me, but did you say I could use a _Dragoon_? I mean no Jiao…I mean Tengu, firebender or otherwise, has ever gotten to use one of those!"

Ryouta whirled about and got right in Kazu's face, "Ah! But none of them have performed nearly so well as you when it came to the aptitude tests for firebending! Now, are you going to continue to complain about common practice or are you going to take this chance to try out the most advanced weapon ever created!"

Kazu blinked and held the man's gaze before replying, "A chance to use Dragoon combat armor? I wouldn't pass that up for the world."

Spinning up and standing straight, Ryouta began to pull out the various medical instruments attached to Kazu, "Splendid! Then you will be deployed immediately to aid in the suppression of the terrorists in the ghetto!"

Ryouta ushered Kazu up and out of the room despite the protests of Chiro, who continued to claim that Kazu wasn't ready. Ryouta simply spoke over her, explaining the situation but most especially going on and on about his pet project.

"It seems that Prince Katashi has decided to finish this terrorist threat once and for all, so he has ordered the military in to crush the Taichung ghetto and all the cells located there. The Prince has agreed to let us field test my precious Zennyo, though we still need the official order to deploy before you can really get in there. But I'm sure he'll accommodate us soon!"

Kazu had no clue what he had gotten himself into, but he was sure of one thing. This man was insane and stepping into something built by a mind like that was a surefire way to die.

Zuko felt slightly sluggish in the new suit, and though he knew his movement wasn't necessary to the plan, the young man still hated finding himself handicapped in the middle of a warzone. He had barely enough firebending power to run the armor, let alone use the fireskates. From his vantage point he could see the train tracks traveling through the outskirts of the ghetto and out towards the other colonies on the islands.

Down below, the man that Zuko had bent to his will stood slightly hidden next to a large thoroughfare. If the soldier was right in his information, then a bender named Goturo would be headed down this way chasing that girl he had seen get in the Gojun earlier. This action should earn him her loyalty, provided that she was moving fast enough to not pause and consider her decision and notice that the man trying to help her was Fire Nation.

The sound of flames and heavy impacts echoed up from the surrounding buildings. Every once in a while a scream would pierce the heavens before being abruptly cut off. The worst ones, however, just continued on and on, getting worse until the sound finally, mercifully, died off. Zuko gritted his, barely able to continue sitting and waiting. But he needed this in, and he would go through anything to put together a force able to end this massacre. From nearby, he heard the tell-tale signs of firebending combat, and hoped that his plan would work.

Kallen raced through the broken streets of the dying city, dodging around walls in an attempt to throw off her pursuers aim. The damnable Shinryu bender from the train tracks had followed her to the ghetto in order to spring an ambush when she slowed down. With one arm out of action and her steel covering in tatters she could do little to fight back. Suddenly she saw a person step out of the ruins up ahead, gesturing wildly at the train tracks above. On impulse, she followed his directions and zoomed up the maintenance stairs, which had been conveniently opened for her.

When she reached the top, a voice rang out, its tones familiar as they blended into a roar that could only be produced by a Dragoon's fire fueled loudspeaker. "Get on the tracks and jump on the train."

Suddenly unsure of herself, Kallen decided that she would trust this voice for a little, hoping that it was one of her comrades and that they had stolen a helmet from an enemy. Besides, what did she have to lose? The Shinryu blasted up the stairs on a trail of fire, following her onto the tracks. On a hunch, Kallen placed her feet wide apart and onto the rails of the track. The consistent surface sped her up, letting her stay just ahead of the faster model. Looking up ahead, she saw the train and had to leap almost immediately or get splattered all over the front. The Shinryu behind her slammed into the front, superior armor absorbing the impact but rattling the man inside despite a hand raised to protect himself.

She turned about on top of the train to see another Shinryu reflexively leap up to get on the train, only for a slash harken to knife out of the smoke darkened sky and cut him down. Kallen seized her chance and went in to attack the original bender, but in desperation he fired off the safety backup of the suit, which overloaded the pressure systems and caused the whole thing to blast out and downwards, wreathing the area in smoke and deadly metal shrapnel as the boots propelled the pilot upwards and away from the explosion of steam.

Kallen fell back, reeling, but the armor protected her despite its terrible condition. She got up from where she had fallen on the train, noting that the locomotive had come to a halt, and turned to where the slash harken had originated from, intending to thank her helper. All she could see was a building with a hole blasted in the stone.

From further up the tracks, a number of voices came and the sound of running feet. Kallen turned, ready for a fight, only to sigh in relief when she recognized the lead runner.

"Onhei what are you doing here?"

The small band came up to a stop and Onhei, the tall man she had spoken too, replied "We just got called over here by some guy with an amplifier claiming that you were in danger and being chased by a Shinryu. Wasn't sure if I could trust him but he was right."

Kallen was about to speak when the voice rang out over the area again, "Good to know that all of the players are finally here. Now if you'd search that train you'll find a present I left for you."

Onhei rounded on the buildings, growling. "I know you helped Kallen but how can we trust a man we've never even seen?"

Echoing brazenly through the rubble, the voice continued on, "I am truly sorry but I cannot afford to show my hand just yet, and for now you must act in my stead to save the people from the depravations of the Fire Nation. Follow me and you will win, go off on your own and you will die."

"Win? Against the military? We're just a bunch of lightly armed resistance fighters! What can we do against that many firebenders and tanks?"

An excited cry came from one of the train cars that the group had been searching while Onhei debated, "Holy Spirits above! This car is filled with weapons and even Shinryus!"

Onhei turned a surprised eye on the man who had come sprinting over, brand new sword and armor in hand. One of the two firebenders Onhei had brought with him nearly choked when he saw the Shinryus in the back of the car. Quickly the man began to suit up while Kallen stared dumbfounded at the contents of the train.

She stammered, "But…but how? Just what kind of connections does this guy have?"

The voice almost seemed to reply from the concrete and stone around them, "Don't worry about just how I got ahold of these, a magician never reveals his tricks. For now, get armed and prepare to deploy according to my orders. I will give each of you a designation, and I expect you to follow my commands to the letter. Am I clear?"

A loud chorus of assent came from the throats of the enthusiastic fighters, all rummaging through the boxcars and some looking for new ones to pillage. One last command echoed through the emptied ghetto, "And grab ahold of those boxes filled with pipes, those are uncommon weapons that I wish to employ to the fullest."

Prince Katashi reclined on a surprisingly comfortable steel chair, though that was due to his demand for a redesign of the originally boxy contraption. He had been unable to force a wooden chair into the tank train's command center, but he had managed to get the contours and cushions added. He watched his general and colonels consider pieces around the large diagram of the ghettos adorning the map table. Messengers rushed in and out of the room, reporting to lieutenants who would use long sticks to maneuver the small symbols that represented the various units of the occupation forces.

Tense yet bored, Katashi bobbed his foot and watched it cycle up and down in the hopes of taking his mind off the metal capsule. As he considered the consequences if news of his experiments got out, the Prince noticed a large number of battered messengers reporting to the lieutenants, whose expressions soured. A sense of foreboding filled him as he watched the lieutenants begin to hook various units out of the battle field, and his sentiments were mirrored on the faces of the commanders in front of him.

Several of the colonels began to argue over the board, gesturing at the units being pulled away and where they believed the messenger hawk orders should have sent them. Rising from his seat, Katashi drew upon all of his royal authority and called out to General Benjiro, "What is going on here General? Why are my men dying?"

The portly dark-skinned man turned to his governor and mopped his now sweating forehead with a handkerchief, "I'm sorry sir, but we aren't really sure. It seems that the terrorists have managed to obtain some of our equipment and have begun to strike back, sneaking around our lines and ambushing our units."

Zuko sent off another of the messengers he had gained control of with his will. His ad hoc force of terrorists, supported and coordinated by the few messengers that Zuko had gained control of, were exceeding his expectations. He suspected that they had been practicing combat against the Gojun, so they adapted fairly quickly and he only had to micromanage for a second with each group before they got a hang of his tactics.

Golden eyes watched through the slits of his helmet as the particularly talented firebender, whom he had taken to calling F-1 instead of Kallen, raced through the intersection of the ambush. Her pursuers followed close behind, not even considering their surroundings, and were thus sufficiently surprised when rock pillars rose out of the ground to meet their rushing fireskates. Three of the four came skidding to a halt while the fourth lept in the air, only to be met by a scything kick from Kallen.

The man deflected almost 90 degrees into the side of a building, body crushed by the enormous impact of the blast. Zuko had been especially surprised by the skill this girl had displayed as soon as she got one of the new Dragoons, and this despite a reset dislocated shoulder and a fractured forearm. The three remaining benders had by then rolled up and begun to move, but between the rocks flying from the concealed freedom fighters and Kallen's rapid and devastating attacks, they quickly fell.

Nearby, Zuko heard the series of cracks that signified the firing of the newly designed guns he'd found. He knew from personal experience that anyone on the wrong end of one of those weapons would find themselves experiencing a very bad day.

Turning to the firebender next to him, still under his control, Zuko issued a quick order, "Tell them to move to the east and set up inside the leaning building on the sixth block. And reroute any messages you find to me."

Energybending the enemy messengers to get an idea of the opposition forces, Zuko had kept up an accurate picture of the battlefield. He knew he couldn't compare to the intelligence provided by messenger hawks and war balloon overseers, but the information at his fingertips was more than enough to keep the Fire Nation forces dancing to his merry tune.

A grim smile twisted Zuko's features. _At this rate it's only a matter of time before Katashi takes action and moves his guard in. He'll want to keep this contained so no other forces will be available. And that's when I'll have his military nicely tied up in knots and unable to fight effectively. Too easy. He won't even know what I'm doing until it's too late._ From the surrounding ghetto Zuko heard the mass rumble of engines and a sharp increase in combat sounds. The smile grew even wider, though it never touched his eyes.

Katashi glared at his commanders, "Stolen! How?"

One of the men came forward with a manifest in hand, "It seems that the terrorists targeted one of the delivery trains for your royal guard that had been traveling through the outskirts of the ghetto. We aren't sure but it seems that they fought some of your troops there before making off with the armor and weapons being transported."

Katashi's eyes widened with surprise and rage, _first they steal my research then they steal my weapons! And I had just ordered a huge shipment of guns from the homeland to equip my men! With weapons like those… No._

Standing straight and issuing his hardest imperial glare, Third Prince of the Fire Nation Katashi Go-Toba brought his voice to a hard, flat tone, "General Benjiro, surround the ghetto with the reserve troops and send the rest of the forces into the streets. I want them to encircle those upstart terrorists and burn their resistance to the ground. Leave no survivors: civilians are still to be purged along with the resistance."

The general spluttered, "But sir! To take our reserves and just!"

Katashi cut him off with his raised voice, "No buts General. I want that ghetto razed."

A few seconds later Benjiro retreated with his head bowed in acceptance of the command.

A loud and boisterous voice drifted from the entrance to the tank, drowning out the now muted orders and low conversations, "Well of course I have permission to be here; else I wouldn't have gotten this far in the first place. Now out of my way, I need to speak with the General and the Prince."

Katashi's glare transferred onto the completely unfazed man who had just waltzed into the command center, "What do you want Ryouta?"

The white haired engineer performed an exaggerated bow, his features creased in a wide and mocking smile, "Why, only to help out of course. If you would simply give the order to deploy, my Zennyo would be at your beck and call to crush these rebels as you see fit. And seeing as you're troops have already had so much trouble with this nuisance, I assume that you would want every available asset to finish the terrorists off."

General Benjiro seemed set to deliver a tirade, but Katashi raised a hand to forestall him, "Can your new design do it Ryouta? Can you stop the resistance?"

Eyes widening in recognition of his victory, Ryouta answered, "My Zennyo is the single most perfect weapon in existence. No one and nothing can stand in its way. Give me the combat data that I require, and I'll give you victory."

"Very well, you may deploy your machine. But you report to me, not my brother." Katashi issued the order calmly but inside he seethed, _Getting help from my older brother's lackeys. I'll have someone's head for this situation._

The technician barely even paused long enough to bow before sprinting haphazardly out of the vehicle, yelling to someone named "Chiro" to get the suit prepped for combat.

A tank went up in a gout of flame, its coal burst into dust by a pillar of rock and ignited by the fires fueling its progress. The soldiers responded to the ambush professionally, the most experienced anti-insurgent task force in the Fire Nation, these men knew what they were up against and responded accordingly. But this was no firebombing or assassination attempt. The soldiers expected the ambushers to do maximum damage before retreating with few casualties. They had no idea how right and wrong they could be.

Kallen led the charge, cutting down soldiers with her slash harkens. Hand-cannons, named by the booming voice as rifles, blasted a hail of lead that tore armor and cut down infantry scrambling for cover. Broken by the unexpected secondary assault, the soldiers drew into smaller isolated groups, unable to form a larger force to break out or effectively fight back. Rocks rained from buildings above and newly armored freedom fighters engaged the groups one by one, systematically eliminating anyone still standing in vicious hand to hand free-for-alls.

The whole fight was over within two minutes. Within three minutes only guttering fires and dead bodies indicated that the fierce battle had even taken place.

Katashi had taken to personally examining the battle board, watching as units were moved from place to place. He knew his command exerted a minimum of influence on the battle, only able to dictate battle lines and larger strategy, but he still blamed the colonels in front of him for the massive casualties so far inflicted on his men. The circle continued to draw in upon the terrorists, and for that Katashi thanked his lucky stars, but he couldn't deny that the ever increasing pile of fallen platoons shook him.

_Since when has the resistance been this organized? I've never even heard of a battle like this after the taking of a colony. If father finds out I could lose my position and chance at the throne! Thankfully the whole affair has been quiet and those barbarians can't stand up to this determined fight, but still._

Kazu rolled his wrists experimentally, marveling at the ease of movement even though he hadn't been fully connected to the Dragoon yet. The Zennyo already impressed him. Chiro fussed over the fitting of the plating while Ryouta danced about, seemingly gone insane with excitement at finally being able to send his pride and joy into action, though Kazu simply suspected that the man was always this crazed and now he had an opportunity to display it.

Kazu still felt a tightness around his abdomen, but whatever the two had done seemed to be remaining in effect. Upon looking down to examine the armor over his injury, Kazu saw Ryouta pause out of the corner of his eye before the mad scientist raced off on some unknown errand. A few minutes later, as the helmet was finally placed upon his head, Kazu heard the man come running into the room.

Chiro headed off to get some more padding to fill out the helmet while Ryouta bent down and began poking at Kazu's stomach. Kazu couldn't quite see what Ryouta was doing, but the man whispered conspiratorially up at him, "Don't tell Chiro but I've added a bit more of the drug that we have been using to dampen the pain. Not to worry, the wound wasn't too bad and the herbs should keep you from feeling it. I want you to be able to fight to your fittest of course! Oh, and if you happen to see any unicorns or sparkly rainbows that's just the effect of the painkiller, ignore them."

Kazu opened his mouth slightly and stared at the lowered head of the engineer as he worked, but the young fighter couldn't find his voice.

"Ryouta, is the Dragoon ready?"

Ryouta jumped at the voice of his subordinate and hastily replied, "Yes, it seems that everything is in order!" The man gave a nervous laugh, "Once the helmet is tight and connected to the rest Kazu will be ready to fight."

Once all of the armor and smaller systems were squared away, Kazu moved to the front of the tank train that served as the engineering bay and home of the ASEEC, the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps. The bay doors opened and Kazu rocketed down the ramp and into the battlefield, shocked by the speed of the Zennyo. He had always been a strong bender but this suit made him realize just what he had been missing in never getting to wear Dragoon armor.

From behind him he heard Ryouta call out with a loudspeaker, "Full speed right out of the gate! We've got an enthusiastic one here Chiro!"

Kazu had only one thought in his mind at this point, end the fight and find Zuko. And if he had to betray these resistance fighters in order to do that...well, he had done worse in his life and now was not the time to back down when his friend could be dead in a warzone.


	3. The First Step

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender nor do I own Code Geass. If you want to give credit where credit is due, you can thank those brilliant folks over at Nickelodeon for the incredible world of Avatar and the people of Sunrise for the awesome characters and political systems of the Code Geass universe. Any changes made to characters or places are my own and in no way reflect the decisions and opinions of the two shows' creators._

_**AN:**__ Been struggling to find a good name for the Bending Suits, settled on Dragoon armor. I'm definitely going to continue to edit and rewrite all of the chapters in small ways for a while, such as changing the name of the ghetto from Kowloon to Taichung. I have found that names are by far the most research intensive part of a story like this, and boy can it take a while. I've decided to take a page from Lelouch of Brittania by Cal reflector and added "historical" accounts to the beginning of the stories. Following this chapter the AN will be at the bottom, and probably a lot shorter. The story has so far followed Code Geass, but never fear, the Gaang will appear and they will be the same. I'm actually wondering how I'm going to do interactions between Lelouch/Zuko and Aang, because the differences are much more pronounced than the ones pointed out than when Katara wanted revenge, and I don't doubt that this Zuko would lie to Aang without hesitation._

""_The Fire Nation nobility faced their final defeat at the hands of the Black Prince and the Avatar, but the first cracks in the Fire Nation elite appeared long before the Black Rebellion. The very first signs of instability, ironically enough, allowed Fire Lord Izumo to incite a rebellion of the daimyos in 883 BSC and gain power in the first place. By promising land and power to his followers, the Fire Lord built up a sizable army independent of the country's national force. The ensuing civil war retained a semblance of civility due to the oversight of the Avatar, but the battles were nonetheless bloody and the lands of the nation burned. Following a surrender by the Fire Sages, Fire Lord Izumo awarded ranks to the daimyos according to the aid they provided him and their relation to his family._

_The closest daimyos, those of his family, became the shinpan and gained the largest influence in the new empire. The title of fudai went to the Fire Lord's many supporters, according them high ranking positions in the bureaucracy and military as well as the ability to earn their way to the council of elders. The lowest noble rank went to those daimyo who had remained neutral in the political struggle, the tozama. The tozama were allowed to keep their holdings, but few influential positions in the new government opened up for them and they were forced to spend every other year in the new empire's capital with the imperial court._

_This conflict showcased the independence of the large landholders throughout the mainland, many of whom maintained extensive fortifications and personal armies. In the year 225 BSC the tozama, reinforced by the descendants of the defeated daimyo who had supported the Fire Sages, formed a rebellion in an attempt to wrest power from the Fire Lord and place it in the hands of Shogun Goktun, then the head general of the Fire Nation. Upon putting down the rebellion Fire Lord Kuzon instituted a series of reforms that repealed the feudal land rights of the daimyo but compensated by providing a percentage of the tax revenue of each piece of land to the daimyo who inherited the title. A number of progressive reforms, most notably the ending of the office of the Shogun, were also instituted to please the peasantry that had largely rallied to the aid of the tozama. The creation of a House of Lords and House of Commons ostensibly limited the powers of the monarch, but in reality the Fire Lord retained the ability to disbar both parliaments. To further appease the former daimyo, Kozun gave them the universal privilege of an audience with the Fire Lord and created a noble court separate from the courts of the commoners._

_While the reforms dealt with the domestic problem of the landed elite, they failed to consider the powers of the colonial governors that would begin to arise during the Great War or the large influence of industrial capital wielded by later corporations. The Black Rebellion would prove to take advantage of this critical weakness to destabilize the empire and to halt the Imperial war machine…"_

_Fire Sage Shyu; the Fall of the Fire Nation Nobility, Ba Sing Se University Press, 122 ASC"_

**Chapter 3**

The First Step

Zuko knew something was going wrong, but he couldn't pin down an answer. The reports his forces were sending held little to no information; only vague reports of an incredibly fast, gold and blue bending suit breaking through their ambushes and chasing down groups of fighters. Some messengers came back still smoking, unable to garble out more than a description of white flames and flashing explosions. And still others did not come back, found by Zuko's newly deployed patrols as they hunted this new enemy.

The young prince had had almost complete control within his little circle of conflict, striking at will at the closing ring of Fire Nation troops and breaking portions of the line only to draw back into the center. The casualties had been steadily mounting and then his battle strategy fell apart from one little hiccup, whole platoons of "rebels" fleeing from what seemed to be a single group of benders. Forced to focus on this overwhelming opponent, Zuko drew his platoons into the middle of the unmanned territory and set up bait to draw the enemy in, joining the final holdout personally with an announcement of his intentions.

All the warning they got was the glare of bright flames as the bait force fled the enemy, already reduced by half. Zuko watched with mounting horror as a single, _Just this one bender took out half of these useless terrorists!_ blue blur ripped apart his ambush, men and women falling left and right. One earthbender threw up a wall to block the blast of red fire directed towards the largest group, only to have a slash harken whip to the side the wall and curl around the man's leg, dragging him off of his feet. Before anyone could react, the blue bending suit drilled through the wall in a blast of blinding white flame, incapacitating the already stunned fighters and giving the firebender the opportunity to take out half a dozen more men, benders and non-benders alike, with a few sweeps of fire.

Zuko recognized the glare of magnesium fire, taking the few moments of respite offered by the mop up of the dismayed terrorists to wonder just what this new combat suit had been armed with. Within a dozen seconds the gold lining flashed in the blood red sun and slash harkens sliced through the smoky air at Zuko, who furiously backpedaled with his underpowered fireskates. The shining steel projectiles sparked as another projectile intercepted them, a familiar and battle scarred suit jumping over the retreating tactician.

"This is in return for the help earlier Mr. Mysterious. And you, there's no way you can stop me."

Kallen engaged in a deadly dance with the newcomer, arcs of flame and iron clashing between the two eerily graceful combatants. Kallen felt her Shinryu groan under the stress of the duel, unable as it was to keep up with the superior armor of her opposite. Even for all of her skill Kallen barely managed to avoid potentially fatal strikes, taking the hits on her armor plating but returning them blow for blow. Zuko took one look at the fierce duel and took off down the street, calling out for his troops to rally.

"Gunners, move to surround that Dragoon and open fire on my command!"

Several men from the reeling force managed to draw a bead on the rapid combat. The volley of bullets lashed out, only for a ball of fire to surround the suit and deflect the rounds. Kallen attempted to take advantage of the opening only to find herself thrown back through a building. Zuko made a split second decision, "All troops scatter to your final locations! Kallen, continue to engage the enemy and draw him back. The rest of you support her before finishing your assignments."

Distracted by the fight, Kallen had no opportunity to argue and merely nodded. She left behind a crescent of fire as she jetted upwards, clambering up the nearby buildings. As Zuko had hoped, the enemy chose to follow her, the clearly greater threat, and left Zuko and the remnants of his fighters behind.

Kazu spun upward, propelled on a twisting pillar of fire. Bringing his legs up and around, he brought the twisting flames down on the head of the Shinryu he faced. The Dragoon jinked to the side, but the explosion threw it sideways across the open plaza. The bender he faced was incredible, managing to land on his feet and turn the momentum of the attack into a charge, slewing through the debris and smashing aside concrete. Kazu shot a tongue of flame outward, following the progress of his opponent but always remaining just behind the speeding combatant.

The battle frustrated him. With this suit Kazu knew he should be able to crush even this pilot in a second, but he was having supreme difficulties in ending this duel. Of course, his foe wasn't exactly having it any easier, but at least they hadn't been cut open earlier that morning. Judging by the spreading wetness around his abdomen, Kazu had burst open the stitches and the only thing holding him together was the armor he wore.

_The longer this battle goes on, the worse I fight and the more likely that I bleed out. I can barely think straight at this point._

Through the haze now clouding his senses, Kazu heard a muffled series of bangs. A ball of fire surrounded him, and thinking that he was under attack Kazu instinctively drew up his guard, only to realize that this was a shield generated from his own suit.

The techniques of using Dragoon armor were vastly different from normal bending, requiring more of a constant and steady flow of power and breath rather than bursting it out at intervals. Of course, he still had to focus his breathing for whenever he created a fireball, but it was always accompanied by a slow lessening of his stamina. This shield markedly increased that draw, but Kazu was thankful for the impenetrable defenses springing up around him.

Automatically, without any thought or even a momentary pause for consideration, Kazu fell to the ground and spun his legs around, projecting a circle of fire in an expanding ring. Dazedly, he saw his opponent fly backwards, caught off guard by the sudden attack. A roar sounded out and somehow snapped Kazu back into focus.

He missed most of the words, but it seemed that the Dragoon at the far end of the plaza was in charge. Kazu thought of focusing on this target but his eye was again drawn to the bender who had been such a thorn in his side. A split second decision later and he found himself tearing up a building, jumping from window to balcony to roof. After this fighter fell the rest would follow; the leader was but a moot point after that.

Prince Katashi knew he owed the ASEEC. Ever since that new Dragoon combat armor had taken the field, the Prince's forces had advanced unopposed into the ghettos. With increasing, albeit reluctant, confidence Katashi ordered his men to move faster and faster, aiming straight for the projected center of resistance. War ballons overhead reported the skirmishes that the blue and gold, Katashi abhorred the color scheme, Zennyo engaged in and noted the incredible prowess of the suit and its pilot. If half of what he had heard was true then this fire bender was quite possibly one of the most amazing fighters in the colonies. What really rankled him was the request from that damn engineer Ryouta, who had commandeered one of the new propelled war balloons to follow his toy around with.

But all of that was in the past. Katashi simply sat and waited for the good news to come knowing that the terrorists couldn't escape the rapidly closing noose. A final report came in, stating that the stronghold of the enemy forces had been spotted and that they were in disarray following an assault by the Zennyo. Katashi swore. He knew that all the glory would go to his damnable brother if the older prince's forces took care of everything, so he immediately called out, "General Benjiro, move our troops at double speed into the central concentration of enemy troops. Support that Dragoon and finish off those cowardly Tengu!"

The colonels went about preparing the necessary orders, and within moments the messenger hawks were in the air. Settling back in, Katashi hoped that his men would make it in time to participate in the final action, rather than mopping up for the Zennyo. Loath as he was to admit it, that Dragoon was one hell of a piece of equipment, and Katashi would have to watch it carefully.

Zuko watched the troops advance from the slits in the helmet that he had acquired. Quickly shedding his armor, Zuko had given the order to the Fire Nation soldier that he had first controlled to spring the trap on Zuko's signal, a pull on the collar of his undershirt and a tip of his helmet to the side all that was needed to initiate the final stages of the plan. The swordsmen in front of him charged into the battle scarred area and came upon the clearing in the rubble with evident surprise. A number of other platoons joined them, assaulting the plaza from several different directions. All in all the greater part of a regiment had entered the square. Several tanks from the armored company joined them, and the Shinryus raced along the surrounding rooftops, overseeing the lifeless defenses. The civilians had long since hidden in the smallest bolt holes they could find, and Zuko had moved his little force out of the central location and replaced them with stone mannequins sufficient to convince a scout in the air. Once the army had come into view, the earthbenders had crumbled the decoys to reduce suspicions of a trap and retreated underground. The enemy quickly began to search the buildings, filling the area up without forming an effective perimeter.

_Of course they haven't formed a perimeter. One battle with a capable enemy wouldn't be enough to teach them caution: they're still used to fighting unprofessional insurgents. The natural reaction is to search, not prepare for another encounter. Pathetic. These so called counter-insurgents can't even adapt. Thank god those resistance fighters I found weren't the same, though some admittedly did cut and run as soon as that new Dragoon appeared. F-1, Kallen, in particular impressed me. I'll have to remember that…the human element is as important to battle as the strategy._

Once the soldiers had crowded the square and settled in to wait for orders, Zuko gave the signal and stepped into the shadows, disappearing into the smoke and ruin of the battlefield.

Behind him, hell itself reached up and pulled the struggling men into the bowels of the earth, swallowing more than a full regiment whole.

Prince Katashi gaped at the stories flooding in, quickly realizing that he had just lost well over half of his standing forces left inside the ghetto, and that overall he had lost well over 1,000 men this day. One of his regiments had taken heavy casualties and the other barely even qualified for the name. An entire armored regiment had disappeared into that ghetto and his Dragoon companies, almost 60 Shinryus and the bulk of his fighting power, had been wiped out. He had thought this fiasco finally closed up, but it just kept getting worse. According to the scouts, the ground the men were standing on had collapsed, probably weakened by earthbenders and the many subterranean tunnels and basements crisscrossing the former city. He no longer had the men necessary to hold the ghetto and he stood little to no chance of coming out on top of this story.

_At least the media only know that the ghetto has been closed to travel, that's one good piece of news. I'm going to have to retreat and leave the ghetto to the insurgents! Ridiculous. Such a thing has never happened before. Dammit, just how am I going to get out of this? Maybe I could…no that wouldn't work. Damn._

Katashi's thoughts were interrupted when every man within the command center stood up and walked out the door. For a second his mind ran in circles, unable to make sense of this inconceivable event, when he noticed a soldier standing next to the door as the flow of officers and orderlies trickled to an end.

Reverting to his natural petulant nature, Katashi stood from his chair and yelled "What is this insubordination! All of you get back to your posts right this instant!"

An unnerving chuckle rose from the throat of the red armored man next to the door. Katashi felt his anger focus on this nondescript entity, and just a tinge of fear. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my command center!" A tentative tendril of thought made the connection and his voice faltered, "Just what in the name of Agni did you do to my men?"

The soldier began to walk forward, a shadow falling across him as he pulled out a small pistol, one of the ones that Katashi had ordered. "Order your men to stand down from the ghetto. Cease the order to kill the civilians and instead give aid to all injured within the combat zone regardless of suspicions. Then, I want you to sit back down in your chair."

Katashi pulled down the mouthpiece connected to the loudspeakers on his tank train and began to issue his orders.

Kallen slid under falling rubble, dodging yet another attack by the pursuing Dragoon. She returned fire with her slash harkens only to have them batted aside and into the side of a building. Jerking herself out of the way of a follow up attack, she skated down another side street, hoping to lose her pursuer in the maze of alleys and unmarked avenues. Behind her, she heard a loudspeaker call out, "What are you doing you idiot pilot! Saving civilians falling to their deaths is not your job. Killing the enemies of the Fire Nation is! Why are you even a soldier!"

Turning about, she saw the blue armor land lightly on the ground, supporting a young woman who seemed to have fallen when the pilot deflected Kallen's slash harkens into the side of the woman's refuge. The young lady screamed and ran as soon as she was put down by the armored firebender, and Kallen decided to take her unsolicited advice and do the same: minus the scream of course.

Suddenly, another voice rang out over the stone buildings, "Attention all forces. Cease fire at once! In the name of Katashi Go-Toba, Third Prince and Governor of Syonanto, you are so ordered! All forces, cease fire at once! You shall also treat all casualties, Fire Nation or Tengu, without prejudice or suspicion. In the name of Katashi Go-Toba, you are so ordered! I shall allow no further fighting!"

Kallen faltered slightly, but decided not to trust the royal scum and proceeded to her rendezvous point. She didn't know what that spoiled bastard was playing at, but she wouldn't trust him for a second.

"Satisfied?" Prince Katashi reclined on his seat, feigning confidence and poise despite the rapid beating of his heart. All royal children were masters of putting on airs, and many considered Katashi to be the greatest actor of the bunch. It was why he could pull off the role of a gentle and benevolent prince while still acting as the ruthless governor of a rebellious colony.

"Yes. Well done." The helmeted man advanced a little further, all but his face illuminated by the lamps around the operation center.

Deciding to push his attitude a little, Katshi adopted a slightly ironic tone, "What now? Shall I sing you the song of my people? Maybe a game of Pa Shoi…ah, that isn't a game often played by you locals now is it?"

"You don't recognize me? After all, I did beat you in every game of Pa Shoi we ever played. It's been a long time, big brother." The mysterious dark figure removed his helmet, stepping out of the shadow and into the light.

Recognition sparked in Katashi's eyes and he leaned forward, "It can't be…Zuko!"

Zuko nodded and changed to his most mockingly respectful voice, "Eldest son of Empress Ursa and Sixth Prince of the Fire Nation Zuko Tadanaga at your service." Settling into a traditional bow, Zuko somehow altered it to mock Katashi, a hint of anger in his voice as he said, "It's so good to see you again dearest brother."

"But you were!"

"Dead? No. I have returned, Your Highness, to change everything."


End file.
